As concern spikes over Hassan heart attack deaths, health ministry denies Covid-19 vaccine link

New Delhi: The Union Health Ministry on Wednesday said unsubstantiated statements linking Covid-19 vaccines to sudden heart attack deaths are “false and misleading”, without any scientific consensus and such unfounded claims can “strongly contribute to vaccine hesitancy, adversely impacting public health.”

Citing studies conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research and All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, the ministry said Covid-19 vaccination didn’t appear to increase the risk of unexplained sudden deaths.

Experts held similar views. “There is no association of Covid-19 vaccination with heart attacks in India and that too for a vaccine given five years ago,” virologist Gagandeep Kang, a professor at Christian Medical College Vellore told DH.

The ministry’s clarification came in the wake of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah blaming the Covid-19 vaccines for the death of over 20 people in Hassan district in the last one month. The state has formed an expert panel to review the cases and submit a report within 10 days.

Kang said Covid-19 infections were known to impact multiple systems within the body, but the vaccine prevented many such complications.

In a 2023 study by the ICMR’s National School of Epidemiology, Chennai and National Centre for Disease Control, Delhi researchers analysed the factors associated with unexpected sudden deaths among individuals aged 18-45 years.

They looked at individuals who appeared to be healthy but died suddenly between October 2021 and March 2023. Examining data from 47 hospitals in 19 states, they concluded that vaccines were safe and effective, with extremely rare instances of serious side effects.

Sudden cardiac deaths, according to the study, can result from a wide range of factors, including genetics, lifestyle, pre-existing conditions, and post-Covid complications.

“The findings have conclusively shown that Covid-19 vaccination does not increase the risk of unexplained sudden death in young adults,” the health ministry said.

The second study by AIIMS and ICMR to determine the common causes of deaths among young adults is ongoing, but an early analysis of data shows that while myocardial infarction is the leading cause of sudden death in this age group, there has been no major changes in the pattern of causes when compared to previous years.

“In majority of the unexplained death cases, genetic mutations have been identified as a possible cause of these deaths,” the ministry noted.

Several experts including Kang have pointed out that one has to know the background heart attack rates, the victims’ family history and risk factors like hypertension, overweight, diabetes and tobacco habits before zeroing on the vaccine as a possible trigger.

“One has to carry out a very well designed study with lots of expertise and efforts to investigate any such link. It will take a lot of time as there will be so much missing data. This can’t be done by a committee, deliberating for a few days,” Kang said.

“Speculative claims without conclusive evidence risk undermining public confidence in vaccines, which have played a crucial role in saving millions of lives during the pandemic. Such unfounded reports and claims could strongly contribute to vaccine hesitancy in the country, thereby adversely impacting public health,” the ministry added.